If you are someone who has moved to a new city and town maybe for college or a job, you might feel lonely. You may not have lots of friends or acquaintances you can reach out to initially and in a new place this can cause feelings of homesickness. However, you can make efforts to make friends in a small town as people usually live in close-knit neighborhoods. They get to see each other quite often due to the size of the town. For instance you can bump into the person living next door everytime you go to the bakery or store. These meetups can help spark conversations with them and so you get to know them better.
Learn about the most visited places
In a small community and locale, the inhabitants usually visit some selected places more often than the rest. This can be a local creamery, cafe, grocery store, cinema or park. Make sure to visit these places as much as you can so you frequently meet the people in your town. You will become aware of the routines and habits of most people by closely observing them. Then keep track of the social events and extracurricular happenings that are taking place in your town.
Such celebrations, regardless of how huge they are, always occur in towns. Take advantage of such gatherings and make sure to take some time out to socialize. Usually when people are attending such lively events like concerts or musical nights and other festivals, they are in high spirits. People prefer to move around and converse with anyone that seems jovial and welcoming. So let it be your chance to learn about others.
Be a social host
One of the best ways to let others know about the kind of person you are is by inviting them to your house. This way you get to host them when you have the benefit of knowing these people more. You can invite the people you know and encourage them to bring more people. This way your circle will expand and people will know you on a personal level. Hosting a party may seem intimidating at first but it can prove to be great fun. This will go a long way if your main goal is to make friends in a small town. Nevertheless, you don’t need to be a frequent host or excel in this art.
Just make sure to do it early on so you can set a good impression on people in your neighborhood, your colleagues etc. It can also help you groom your house, decorating it and cooking delicious meals for your guests.
Use social media apps
Being active on social media as an adult or college student may seem taxing but you don’t have to worry too much. By just following the people in your town on apps like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter can help you catch up with them. What they are currently doing, what are their hobbies and interests. Patook is one of the platonic friend-making apps that a majority of people use. Once people make an account here, they need to rank various traits such as age, gender, languages etc. Patook will then match you to the people who have the greatest number of points in the areas that you ranked as your preferences. There is an option according to which you can control who sees your profile. This is safer in comparison to many dating apps so you can be your best self here without fearing any fake accounts.
Similarly, Nextdoor is one of your go to options for making friends with people who live in your neighborhood. This is a very private social network where you stay informed of what is happening in your vicinity. We3 is an app which considers a friendship of three to be elite. A statement card is used to match on this app. You get to decide to agree, disagree or stay neutral for each one. The answers you give will help you connect with your tribe which consists of 3 people.
They are the most compatible ones with your interests in accordance to the questions you answered. This is a safe space because only your tribe members get to see your profile. Then through Hey! Vina you get to meet like-minded women. You make your profile and swipe right for extending friendship to someone who seems jovial and similar to you. There are quizzes and articles to empower women as well.
Volunteer
You can volunteer at your town’s zoo, bookstore, daycare, church or a school. This is a great way to build connections such as interning at a hospital. This can be done in your summers such as working at the front desk, hosting activities or making gift packs for cancer surviving children. Then you have the option of visiting festivals, fairs or local markets such as greengrocers on weekends. Even make trips to the florist and look for some part-time work options.
Be a welcoming and cheerful salesperson by assisting everyone around. Most people will start conversations with you and you can make new friends in a small town. It will not only be good for socializing but also help you earn some money during your vacations or free hours even during schooltime. Start by making a list of all those places where you would want to volunteer at and contact them as soon as possible.
Join a gym or fitness class
To stay in shape and also meet new people at the same time, get yourself registered at the local gym or any class that involves physical activity. Make sure to not wear your headphones while working out so that you seem more approachable to new people. It is usually preferred to work out in groups instead of solo. Take classes especially those in high intensity like kickboxing or even something calming like pilates. Compliment your partners if they are wearing a smart gym fit. Or if they have made any visible progress thus far at the gym.
